The present subject matter generally relates to an actuator for powered actuation of a rotary latch of the type having a catch and a release pawl. Rotary latches are used wherever an enclosed compartment or space is accessible through a movable door or cover. This encompasses a wide variety of situations such as vehicle doors, storage container doors, building access doors and the like. The rotary latch is typically fixed to a stationary frame portion of the compartment where it is releasably engageable with a striker such as bolt, post or pin which is mounted on the movable closure member such as a door or cover.
More particularly the present subject matter relates to improvements in providing electromechanical actuation of rotary latches of the general type that employ at least one catch that is releasably retained in a latched position by a pawl. The catch and the pawl extend principally within a primary plane and pivot about separate parallel-extending axes that are perpendicular to the primary plane. One or more torsion springs extend principally within a secondary plane located adjacent to the primary plane and extending parallel thereto. The torsion spring has a first hook that extends out of the secondary plane into the primary plane where it engages the catch to bias the catch away from its latched position toward its unlatched position. The torsion spring also has a second hook that extends out of the secondary plane into the primary plane where it engages the pawl to bias the pawl away from its catch-releasing position toward its catch-retaining position. The catch and the pawl have engageable formations that cooperate to enable the pawl to retain the catch in, and to release the catch from, the latched position by pivoting the pawl into and out of the catch-retaining position. A rotary latch of this general type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,471,260, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Various mechanisms can be provided for actuating the pawl by working against the torsion spring to move the pawl to the catch-releasing position. Often these are purely mechanical devices but powered actuators are also known. Many of the powered actuators are needlessly complex and often require modification of the catch and pawl design. There is therefore a need for a rotary latch that is simple in construction and readily adaptable to existing latch constructions.